After I heard about this movie, I got the book from the library and read it over the course of 3 days - It was light, funny in parts and a very quick read for 384 pages....

It was kind of Forrest Gump-ish, in that the hero was all over history, introduced first by his love of blowing things up...This book was published in Sweden in 2009, and translated and published here in 2012. I almost never read books that have been translated - it always seems to me that the language is stiff or stilted, the words don't flow easily. I didn't notice any awkwardness while I was reading - but neither did I see any darlings. Just this one thing to keep in mind:

I finished the book on Saturday afternoon, and went to see the movie on Saturday night. The book was so long and detailed, and the film just moved along. I was watching and wondering how I would like the movie if I didn't have all the backstory in my head, even if it was slightly changed...

The audience seemed to like the movie. There were some very funny scenes, and one gentleman laughed so hard that it made everyone else laugh more...not a bad thing at all.